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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/28116564">A sailor's grave</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Cialline/pseuds/Cialline'>Cialline</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Original Work</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Asexual Character, M/M, Mermaids, Sirens, sea folklore</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-12-16</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-12-16</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-10 23:22:19</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Not Rated</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>3,710</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/28116564</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/Cialline/pseuds/Cialline</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Mason feels his life falling appart. His wife has left him, his job pays too little, and he's struggling to meet the ends. So he decides to do the most bold thing he's ever dreamt of. He sets sails on his own, with no one else but his dogs, to discover the world. Unbeknown to him, Leucis, a Siren, is tracking him down. Rejected by his pack because of his scales' colors, he wants to prove he is worthy and promise to come back with a human in his claws.<br/>Spoiler alert? When you try to lure an asexual sailor, they are immune to the sirens' glamour.<br/>They can't stand each other, and plot each other's demise... Failing to notice how they fit in a "Us against the world" dynamic.<br/>Follow their journey around the globe as they change the world for good!</p><p> </p><p>---<br/>Contains songs from popular bands. They are a placeholder for original songs later on.<br/>I'm a beginning hobbying author, so please be kind with the crits, but I do love some tips on improving. English is not my native language and I am doing my best for it not to show.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Mason/Leucis</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>A sailor's grave</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>There was something about the peace and quiet that the stars held that night. Leucis stared into the hypnotic dance of the waves underwater. The few stars that shone through the veil of clouds lit the ocean's turquoise finish, glistening. 
Leucis broke the surface with a clicking noise, taking in deep breaths. The surface's air felt bleak and dry in his lungs, but he liked the fresh feeling of the wind against his skin. This would have been a peaceful night, if it weren't for the dull ache of hunger striking him at this very moment. He had felt light-headed all day, so he felt pretty content about just floating in the shallow waters for a bit, waiting for a prey to wander a bit too close to the shore. Unfortunately, the furrowed sound of the tide was his only companion in the silent darkness. He knew, deep in his core, that this would be another of those nights. No one dared to risk their life by the shore so late in the night. He should have swum to the bay, at least he would have probably found a ship to hunt upon. Humans were easy preys when they wandered by the beach. Often alone, any siren could catch one of these frail creatures. On a boat, tough, this was a whole new story. Leucis wasn't sure how large a regular crew was, but he knew that it was risky for a lone siren to attack multiple humans at once, let alone the sighting risk! Even if he had lured some human to jump off the deck, its crew remained a huge problem. He wasn't willing to risk his pack's life for a snack. He knew better than to leave humans alive after they've seen him. Truthfully, he was not something you could pass by without noticing. His golden scales shone brighter than the moon, almost glowing against the hard contrast of the sea's shadows. He was a rarity. One hatch in a million. But he was growing tired of the pack's protectiveness around him. It was easy to swim by the shore when you were a dull, mud colored siren. Blue and cyan would have been a decent disguise, as well. 

His mother had always said he was beautiful, a child of the stars. He was resentful of being treated any differently. He knew he was a great hunter, if anything, he was the fastest. 
All of the other sirens that had come of age were offered a position in the pack. Some were designated scouts, to ensure the territory was guarded, and to alert of any unwanted presence. The faster sirens, or those with good camouflage abilities, would end up hunters. They brought back supplies to feed the pack, from fish to humans, when they were lucky enough to drag a ship to it's demise. Some of the females were in charge of the nursery and the infirmary. Some sirens were gifted with beautiful voices, making them the perfect choice for smoothing down arguments. There was something calming about the lullabies one could sing. And some of them were just very talented at it. 
A siren's song could lure in any human, no matter it's quality, so why waste a skilful voice over hunting? The community's hierarchy was well established. Peace reigned and everything was good in the best of worlds. Except for Leucis. He had been stuck on nursery duty at first, but the females resented him for his colors, their sentiments mixed up between jealousy and fear. 

He had lasted no more than three moon courses, before the elder tought it would be a good idea to give him a singing position. It had seemed like a decent choice, his vocal faculties were definitely something he liked to boast about. But the requirements for being a singing siren were clear. They were calm, collected, not at all like Leucis was. Instead of calming the fights of the males, he picked them. He tried to sing, but eventually, he'd gotten involved in the disputes and it quickly escalated. The elders had sighed, not quite metting him in the eye. 
There was nothing they could do, and he felt like a burden. His hatchkin and close friend Tia, a gorgeous siren with auburn hair and hazel scales, had offered him some fish after that, but he'd refused, saying he wasn't hungry. The truth was that he felt like he wasn't worthy of being fed by the pack. He couldn't hunt, nurse or sing, and he wouldn't live off of their pity either. She had given him an apologetic smile, and there was a hint of sadness in her eyes. 
At least she had never judged him for the color of his fins. She had always said he "couldn't be blamed for something you had no control on". When she had left, he had decided to show them all he was able to care for himself and left to hunt. That landed him by the shore, waiting for men to take a gander by the tide.<br/>
A seagull landed on a rock, close by. Said animal proceeded to laugh at him, and it took everything from him not to drown the stupid bird. Instead, he snarled, scaring off the poor bird into the wind. At least, he was motionless enough for birds not to notice him. That meant if anyone came to him, he wouldn't be given away. He flicked his tail, splashing some water at his hair. His skin was starting to hitch up from dryness. He hoped he wouldn't be waiting any longer. His stomach growled, clearly unhappy about being left starving for so long. He should have tried to catch the bird. Those didn't taste half as good as humans, but they did the trick.<br/>
---</p><p>Mason sighed. Louis and Joseph had tought he was crazy. Sailing in this time and age? Either he was suicidal, or completely insane. And truthfully, Mason kind of agreed with that. But he could not stay at home, lamenting about his lack of... Well, he didn't know what he lacked, maybe everything? His wife left him for another man, leaving him with nothing but a shack by the shore. He was a terrible fisherman and barely had enough to eat for himself and his dog. Said animal was drooling over the tapestry he was working on. He couldn't find it in himself to fight the old beast over it, and instead brought a hand to stroke the animal's face. He was getting old, but he was the best companion he could hope for. He had stayed when everybody had left. At least the tourists that came by the port liked their odd duo of a man and his dog selling tapestries, and gave him a few dimes for his work. That would help him live another day, then another. Sometimes, they struggled a bit, but eventually, they always found a way. Everyday, he made sure his dog, Rascal, had his worth of food. It was all that mattered. They were content, him reading and his dog sleeping by the fire. This was good. This was enough.<br/>
Until it hadn't been.<br/>
---<br/>
Leucis was startled awake from his nap by what seemed to be a loud bark. He stirred, glancing at the animal who could be the origin of the noise. He had to blink a couples times to adjust to the sun rising. Sirens were creature of the deep. Their eyes struggled with adjusting to lights.<br/>
An old hound was panting, running hardly after its owner. The animal seemed exhausted by the fast pace they had set. Finally, Leucis tought. He had been right to wait all night. He had considered going home a couple times, but eventually decided against it. Merfolk consumed lots of calories to swim long distances, wich he was lacking, currently, and swimming back home would have been dangerous. Staying seemed like a risk, too, but given he was going to eat, he was glad he did. He licked his dangerously sharp teeths, cautious not to bite his own tongue in his frenzy. He swam slowly towards the shore, careful to stay out of the line of sight of the human. His scales would immediatly give him away, and once he was spotted, the human would most likely run off to alert others of the sighting. He wasn't sure his voice could carry his songs from afar. He had never tried on his own, after all. The dog caught up with what Leucis presumed was its owner. Said man didn't look any older than Leucis, maybe 80 seasons or so. He had mousey hair, strands flying in every direction as if he had forgotten to style it. Leucis always tought humans were weird with their hair. It was rare to see a siren with long hair, as this could prove to be deadly during hunts or fights. Instead, they kept their hair short, careful not to tangle any of it in deadly situations. He huffed. Humans really were ridicule. This one man kept glancing back and forth between the boat he was pushing, unbeknown to him that the danger lurked from beyond. He looked really worried that another human would catch him there. 
Leucis wondered what could really bother a human, that could seem more dangerous than the threats of the sea ahead. He guessed he would never know, given he was going to feast upon the poor soul without asking so much as a glance. He mused a bit with the idea of devouring the human now, or stalk him from a distance. He decided on the lather, thinking a little bit of fun couldn't hurt him. It was obvious the human wasn't going back on land anytime soon, anyway, and Leucis had all the advantages once he set that boat sailing.<br/>
He watched, enraptured, as the other tried to maneuver the small boat. After what seemed like an eternity, the man had set sail, holding onto the helm for dear life. He watched, amused, as the man kept running back and forth between the sails and the helm, clearly overwhelmed with the amount of work it took to keep the boat afloat. Leucis couldn't spot  his animal companion from the water. This didn't matter, tough, as dogs made for terrible meat. It wasn't rare for a dog to be lured by the songs the sirens sang when hunting humans. It was a shame to waste food, but most of the time, sirens would rather avoid consuming it. Cats, however, were a delicacy, but much rarer to come across. If Leucis was honest with himself, tough, he was starting to feel really hungry. Even the dog looked like a nice idea. He decided it was time to strike. He had been following the human for kicks all day, and the sun was starting to set. The boat wasn't fast, thankfully, so Leucis kept up with it admirably, but he was starting to grow bored. It was all fun and giggles to watch the other panick on his stupid little boat, but Leucis was done with it.<br/>
He surfaced nearby the boat, slightly ahead of it. He flicked his tail a couples times to find his balance upwards, and glanced towards the human.<br/>
He began singing. The words mattered very little, so he decided on singing a song his mother had sang once upon a time.<br/>
Envy green growing ivy vines that hold me<br/>
He reached out, the wind carrying the melody to the other.<br/>
Up they go past the collar bones and freckles on my nose<br/>
They locked eyes.<br/>
Higher, higher till the words I tell myself are covered<br/>
The siren swam forward, his arms slowly approaching the boat.<br/>
What if we could take a taste of the maybe<br/>
The man took a step forward, kneeling by the boat's railings.<br/>
Beyond what's been known and been named<br/>
Bittersweet we're blooming forth from the envy<br/>
There's freedom in the wisdom but,<br/>
His eyes were wide, and this was it, Leucis motioned for the other to come forward, just a little step, just one more -<br/>
From the bite eve lost her eden<br/>
Something slammed into him, and it took a moment to realise the human hadn't jumped. The human screeched something he didn't recognize, probably a name, and the pain in his neck bloomed. then he realized it was the dog's name. The dog had jumped and its canines were digging through the siren's neck, rendering fighting nearly impossible. Leucis tried to push back against the animal, until he blacked out from the blood loss.<br/>
---<br/>
Leucis opened his eyes to a completely unfamiliar sight. He was enclosed in a small wooden bassin, his tail draped over a side of it. His whole body felt like agony and despair, but he couldn't move his head without howling in pain.<br/>
"Good!You're awake!" That startled Leucis. He gaze toward the other, all teeth bared and ready to kill.<br/>
His sudden movement apparently surprised the human as well, who quickly took a step back.<br/>
"Ah,"He began."Huh, sorry. My dog just saw you overboard and we tought you were someone drowning but... You sang? And I think he tought you were threatening me because he attacked you..." Great, now he looked apologetic. Humans were really frail and stupid."I'm sorry. I bandaged you up, and I didn't know if you needed water, or not, but I did my best."<br/>
Leucis snickered, crossing his arms against his chest.<br/>
"You... You don't speak english, do you?"<br/>
Leucis glanced back, deciding to humour the human and not answering. It wouldn't matter anyway. As soon as he made sure the dog was unable to hurt him, he'd sing again and kill the human.<br/>
He stirred, trying to fit a little bit better in the small area while the human sat on the floor. Leucis took in his surroundings, noticing how everything seemed to be made out of wood. Wooden walls, wooden ground, even the roof was wooden. There was a heap of fabric tied with ropes in the center of the room, and Leucis wondered what use the other could have for this. Was this how they hung their clothes? He'd always wonder how humans kept their stuff. Sirens had no use for clothes whatsoever, but he'd seen some of his hatchkins collect pieces of fabric humans had worn before their doom. 

One of the elder kept trying humans were too prude, that they were enslaved with their carnal desires and so much as glancing towards a female's breasts would make them go berserk. That seemed stupid. He knew female humans were using those to feed their offspring, but he couldn't grasp the idea of finding them appaling. At least, the fact that they were so easily subdued by something as thrivial as mating instincts played a huge part in singing. Singing unleashed that primal desire, these instincts in humans. They couldn't resist, and therefore, they fell to their demise. How stupid. Sirens, on the other hand, mated for life. Laying with others was heavily frowned upon, not that any siren felt the need to, anyway. Once one came of age, they would signal their availability in the mating season, and bonds would be formed. Leucis had not yet found his mate, but he guessed it was unimportant. Some hunters never settled, because their life was so dangerous. The females number was dropping down, so it was best to pair them with other sirens that would help rise the offsprings numbers. Leucis had always felt like his true place was with the hunting pack, so he never gave so much as a second gland on mating. It seemed like an odd concept, anyway.<br/>
The human seemed to have noticed his wandering gaze, because he mistook it for fear.<br/>
"Ah! If you're looking for Rascal, he's not here. I caged him. I swear he's a friendly pup, he just... gets a little bit protective." The human shoulder's slumped.<br/>
Leucis snarled, slumping a bit further into the basin and hurling water out of it as he did.<br/>
The dog problem was out of the way. He could try to escape. He hoisted his head out of the basin, staring at the man. The other looked at him with interest, so he sang.<br/>
This is the sound of a soul in tune<br/>
To a savage desire for a soul made new<br/>
It's a savage desire for a soul untamed<br/>
A definitive cry in the present age<br/>
"Wow" The man said, barely a whisper.<br/>
Leucis gripped the edge of the basin. This wasn't supposed to happen, was it? The human wasn't enraptured. He wasn't coming forward. He looked... interested.<br/>
Do I throw my clothes in the fire? Do I throw my hopes in the fire?<br/>
Do those things grow in the fire<br/>
Or burn just to keep me complying?<br/>
Can you still show me the way? Can you still show me a light?<br/>
'Cause I was only a kid when I fell and you tossed me aside<br/>
"Your voice is beautiful." He blushed. "I... I don't think I've heard anyone sing this well before."<br/>
Leucis freezed. This wasn't working, this was supposed to be working, He was supposed to be in the ocean, this tub was too small, and he was all too aware of the pain in his neck now.<br/>
"I... Wait, breath in, breath out!" The human must have noticed his panick because he came forward, a hand reaching out to him. "I won't hur-"<br/>
He was interrupted as Leucis closed his teeth around his hand, blood spilling into his mouth. The human cried out, and the siren let him go, knowing he didn't have the upper hand out of the ocean. That didn't stop him from snarling and snapping, which must have looked terrifying, given his jaw was covered in blood.<br/>
The human took a step back, and finally, there was fear in his eyes.<br/>
So why did Leucis feel filled with remorse?<br/>
---<br/>
The mermaid had bitten him. He had saved it, reached out to it, and it had returned the favor by trying to maim him. Mason knew it was ridiculous to hold it against him tough. Obviously the poor thing had been mauled and then held in what seemed like a prison. It didn't seem to understand english, and that it probably only memorized english songs as a defense mechanism, so there was no way it could have understood Mason was trying to help. He willed his heart to calm down, but the pain was almost unbearable. He wasn't really a softie but this thing had teeth, and it knew how to use them.<br/>
He poured the alcohol on the wound, bandaging it with a bit of fabric from an old shirt. He tied the makeshift bandage with his teeth, wincing as the fabric pressed against the gash.<br/>
He wondered if the creature he had stuck in his quarters was intelligent. Clearly, it was sentient. But could he teach it to speak english? Was it even able to survive out of the ocean for very long? He would need to find a bigger tank to house it. He felt a pang of guilt, thinking about keeping the creature in a prison for the rest of it's life, but frankly, he wasn't so sure about setting it free anymore, given the thing had tried to maul him to death. Maybe he could sell it for a pretty penny as well. He could even try to find someone who owned a private lake and sell it for a fortune. The creature would get to be treated decently, people would respect him for discovering that thing, and everyone would be happy. This sounded like a plan.<br/>
He took a gander through the window to his quarters, noticing how the mermaid tried to adjust itself in the improvised tub. He felt culpability at hearing the other's whimpers and frustated clicks as he tried to fit his tail in the water. He couldn't lie about it, he had never seen a fish so beautiful. It's tail shone a beautiful gold, adorned with intricate dark markings, a starking contrast against the gold. Its hair was black on the sides, sparsed with gold strands. The top of it's hair was a golden blonde, close to the color its fins and scales were. From there, he could spot that its fingers were slightly webbed, and it's claws were a deep jet black.
 It's eyes were grey and some smaller gold scales were scattered by its cheeks. Some were so small he initially mistook them for freckles. He wasn't sure that the mermaid was a male or a female. He had heard stories of female mermaids, but stories about male ones were inexistant. He guessed mermaids wouldn't have breasts, contrary to popular belief. It only made sense that they wouldn't have such attributes, given they weren't mammals to begin with. The creature peered towards the window, and Mason promptly looked anywhere else but the creature. He felt like a stalker now, great.<br/>
---<br/>
That vile human was observing him again. Seriously, what was wrong with him? Even in this prison, Leucis knew he was dangerous, and humans knew not to meddle with danger, didn't they? Well this one obviously had no sense of self preservation at all. First, the songs don't lure him in, now he tries to touch the siren? Surely he was a masochist. Leucis didn't pride himself as someone who knew a lot about humans, but this was ridiculous. 
And seriously? Thinking he didn't speak english when he sang in english? He didn't know if human standards were the same as merfolks', but obviously by merfolks' standards he was dumb. An imbecile, even. Who sails at sea with no company other than a foul smelling dog? This was begging for the sweet mercy of death.  Which Leucis was all too happy about obliging, if the human did so much as get closer. But no, The human just tease him in this starving state with his flailing hands, then cries like a hatchling, flails around some more, gets out of his wooden cave and locks him in.<br/>
Yikes. Leucis was in trouble.</p>
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